in The Hague in the Netherlands handed Taylor a
50-year prison sentence for crimes against humanity, after a five-year trial
After Taylor was forced from power, an interim government served from 2003 until elections of 2005 ushered in the present government headed by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president.
Sirleaf, a former United Nations and World Bank official, was a long-time opposition leader. Former president Doe imprisoned her twice for criticizing his regime. She lost the 1997 presidential election to Taylor and went into exile to avoid political persecution.
Given Sirleaf’s track record as an opposition leader and the political persecution she suffered under both presidents Doe and Taylor, many journalists and free speech advocates hoped that with her election Liberia would at long last enjoy free speech protections. Their hopes have not been completely dashed. Independent newspapers as well as private and community radio and television stations have proliferated throughout the country and they often carry stories critical of the president. Despite the progress, constraints on free speech rights still hamper reporters. The new tool? Libel suits.
Uphill Battles for the Press
Liberian government officials continue to harass and intimidate journalists and commentators who publicly criticize them. Two stories best illustrate this pattern of suppression. The first involved Rodney Sieh, owner and editor-in-chief of FrontpageAfrica, Liberia’s leading print and online newspaper. After writing a few articles critical of the judiciary and the chief justice of Liberia, Sieh was held in contempt by the Supreme Court and imprisoned in 2010. He was released only after writing a letter of apology for “placing the court and the integrity of the judiciary at risk.”
This was just the beginning of what many consider a concerted attempt to use the courts to silence Sieh. In 2011, the former Minister of Agriculture sued Sieh for libel based on a series of FrontpageAfrica articles alleging that the minister misused public funds. Sieh’s stories were based on a report issued by the Audit Commission of Liberia, a government agency. However, the trial judge denied Sieh’s motion to dismiss the case, which went to trial. The jury, which Sieh claimed was bribed, brought down a verdict of $1.6 million against Sieh.
Sieh did not have the money to satisfy the judgment or perfect an appeal to the Supreme Court. He was jailed in August 2013, under an obscure Liberian statute which called for people found guilty to be imprisoned and pay the fine at the rate of $25 a month. At that rate, Sieh’s sentence would last more than 5,000 years.
International pressure began to mount against the Liberian government for Sieh’s release. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Global Witness, called on the president to revise Liberian libel laws to comply with international standards. From his hospital bed, while in prison, Sieh authored a New York Times Op Ed on Aug. 30, 2013, bringing even more international attention to his case.
The case did not officially involve Sirleaf or her government since it was brought by a former government minister. However, in a speech shortly after Sieh’s imprisonment, Sirleaf in a clear reference to Sieh, spoke of journalists who use their “poisoned pens” to destroy others. Sirleaf also warned that those who “take our silence for weakness” were mistaken and that the government would not allow them to tarnish the reputation of its officials with impunity.
Despite her harsh stance, Sirleaf was forced to bow to international pressure for Sieh’s release. In November 2013, her justice minister released him after two months on grounds of compassion. In an interview, Sieh insisted that for freedom of speech to indeed be practiced in Liberia, “Mrs. Johnson Sirleaf must fulfill her promise to decriminalize defamation and ‘insult’ laws in Liberia, enforce Liberia’s existing Freedom of Information laws and prosecute corrupt officials.”
Now, Sieh faces a libel suit brought by the head of the National Port Authority. Sieh says he must spend scarce resources to hire lawyers and pay for court costs.
15